


&Soulmates

by nimara



Category: & Juliet - Martin/West Read, Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare
Genre: &Juliet the musical, Angst, English is not my first laguage, Fluff and Angst, Juliet and Romeo, Multi, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soumate AU, or if any of the sentence doesn't make sense, so sorry for any mistakes, the one-shots will mostly follow the events of the musical, we stan all the couple from the musical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22979575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nimara/pseuds/nimara
Summary: I decided to write a soulmate AU one-shot for each of the main couples in &Juliet. Every chapter will be focused on one couple and the soulmate AU will be different for each couple!1. Anne and William : *Soulmate Identifying marks* : Even being in a relationship with a soulmate is hard. Anne and Will find that out but they are willing to try again not for the sake of soulamtes, but for the sake of love.
Relationships: Angélique (Nurse)/ Lance Dubois, Anne Hathaway Shakespeare/William Shakespeare, Juliet Capulet/Romeo Montague, May/François Dubois
Kudos: 11





	&Soulmates

Anne had always wondered when her mark would come to life. The grey smudge on the side of her arm had always been an obsession. Especially when she learned what it meant. She was only eight at the time yet, she remembered distinctly running to her mother.

“Mummy! I have a weird thing on my arm!”

Her mother’s confused expression had quickly transformed into a smile when she saw the “weird thing” in question.

“Oh darling! That’s amazing!”

“Amazing? What is it mummy?”

The little girl looked at her arm again. She didn’t understand how having a weird grey mark on her skin could be “amazing”. She had tried to rub it away, rinsing it with water, but the mark was still here. Her mother had taken her into her arms, seating the little girl in her laps.

“Do you know what a soulmate is, Anne?”

Red curls bounced around as she shook her head.

“Well, when two people are meant for each other, the universe sometimes decides to make them soulmates. It means that those two people are bound for life by strong feelings. They will always be here for each other. Loving each other through thick and thin. When someone has a soulmate, a mark appears somewhere on their body.”

Her fingers grazed the mark on her daughter’s arm.

“This mark means that you have a soulmate somewhere.”

Anne frowned,

“But where are they?”

Her mother’s smile dropped a little,

“You can’t really know. You have to… find them. But Anne, meeting your soulmate is really rare. There are many people on this Earth. And not everyone can meet their other half.”

The little girl was even more confused,

“Then, what is the point of having a mark?”

“If you’re one of the lucky one who meet her soulmate, your mark will fill with colour. That’s how you know you met your soulmate.”

Anne pondered the idea for a bit. It seemed kind of useless, having a mark if the chance of meeting their soulmate was almost non-existent. She’d rather play outside with her friends. She turned back toward her mother,

“Do you have a mark mummy?”

A sad smile appeared on her mother’s face,

“Yes, I do. But it is still grey. That doesn’t mean I don’t love your father. I love him very much! It’s just… I guess I’ll always wonder who he is.”

But soon Anne scrambled off of her mother’s laps and ran outside to play with her friends. She never thought she’d be a part of the 0.001% of the population who meet their soulmate.

************

Anne was twenty-five when she met her soulmate. She had long decided that soulmates were useless and that, being stuck in Stratford, she would never meet hers. All of her friends were married now. None with their soulmates. Some had never gotten a mark and others had just decided to ignore theirs.

The redhead skipped down the street happily. It was a beautiful day. And she was avoiding a meeting with some guy, organised by her parents.

_“Anne you’re old enough to be a mother. You should get married soon or no one will ever want you!”_

But Anne wanted to marry with someone she loved. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to happen soon. Her mark had been itching for the past few months and she found herself hoping for the impossible. Then she bumped into someone.

Two hands went to rest on her arms, just above her mark, to steady her.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” she started but the stranger interrupted her,

“Don’t be! It’s my fault!”

Anne looked up, literally because the man she had bumped into was really tall. He was around her age, maybe a few years younger and he was handsome. His brow eyes seemed to shine in the sunlight and his hair were tousled as if he had never put a comb through them. He extended his hand toward her,

“I’m William. Delighted to meet you!”

“I’m Anne. Nice to meet you too!”

They shook hands and Anne’s mark stopped itching.

*************

Anne’s mark had taken the form of a quill, bursting with reds, oranges, blues and greens. She wasn’t surprised since William loved to write. Plus, he was talented and she was sure he could become a famous writer one day. Her parents had been overjoyed when she introduced them to William. Their daughter was going to be married and to her soulmate none the less. They had been put off a little bit at first, since William was eight years younger than she was. But they had gotten used to the idea.

Will’s mark was a paint brush and Anne pressed a kiss to it, right above his collarbone, as she whispered the words, she had been so afraid to say,

“I’m pregnant William.”

She was twenty-six and he was only eighteen but he kissed her soundly on the lips, a huge smile on his face. Three months later they got married.

*************

William became famous. His play, The Taming of the Shrew was a success and now everybody knew the name “William Shakespeare”. No one knew the name Anne Hathaway and she was okay with that. But Will spent more and more time in London. His letters shorter and rarer and Anne began to doubt. She knew she was being unfair. William was busy and he was doing this for them. Yet, she couldn’t help but notice that the colours of her mark had become dull.

Then their little boy died.

William practically disappeared to London and she was left alone to help her daughters getting through this terrible event. No one was here for her, and the red at the top of the quill was the first colour to disappear.

***************

Romeo and Juliet was bound to be a failure. Anne knew some people liked tragedies but, two lovers who kill themselves in the end? Seriously? So, she pleaded with her husband. Because she wanted to help him. She wanted to be back into his world, a world she hadn’t even realized she had been excluded of. She wanted them to do something together. Their little angel had been gone for almost two years but they had still two wonderful daughters who deserved to have their father by their side.

They had been so in tune back then. The connection between them so strong. She wanted that back. She wanted the man she loved back and Anne’s heart leaped when he said,

“Alright Anne. What happens in your play?”

She had found herself hoping. Hoping that working together would mend their relationship. For the first time in two years, she forgot about the red and orange missing from her mark. But then of course William ruined it. She just wanted to do something with him, create something with him but he didn’t listen to her. Like always.

“What do you care the most about? Your work or your family?” she had cried, standing on the empty stage.

“I care very much about… Both!”

The hesitation had been too much. It was a question he should never hesitate to answer. Yet he did and said “both”. Anne’s heart broke. He cared more about his work than about his daughters, than about her. His soulmate. She saw William’s breath catch in his throat, his eyes fixed on her arms. She didn’t need to look. She knew the green wasn’t here anymore. She was losing her soulmate. No. _He_ was losing her.

She looked away. A few seconds later she heard his footsteps coming near her. She could feel his warmth next to her. Once again she hoped he would say “I’m sorry. I love you Anne and wouldn’t trade you for anything else”

But he didn’t instead he softly said,

“Give me back the quill.”

She wanted to hit him. But she didn’t. She broke the quill. Wishing she could do the same to the quill on her arm.

“Good job Anne! Now Juliet’s on her own!”

He had no right to be angry at her. Not after admitting that she mattered less to him than words on paper. She turned toward her husband, finally letting her anger get the best of her,

“She’s better off without you anyway! And… Maybe I am too.”

She left the stage, not looking back, walking as fast as she could so people wouldn’t see her cry.

*************

“You’re in love with your work! And I’m just your second-best bed.”

This time she let the tears fall as they roll down her cheeks. The blue has almost faded and she wanted to beg. Beg him to save their relationship. She didn’t care if her mark faded away. She just wanted the man she loved back. But William didn’t say anything and she felt her heart break for good this time. She let out a disbelieving laugh that sounded more like a sob. Her husband was still silent, so she walked away.

“I’m sorry.”

She was almost off the damn stage and she froze.

“Anne… Please. I….”

She could hear the emotion in his voice. She wanted to turn back, to run into his arms and forgive him. But she had already forgiven him too many times.

“You’ve always been my greatest inspiration.”

She didn’t turn back. She couldn’t. But her mark started to tingle.

“Anne. I can write endless plays, I can write plays for days but there will never be another Anne Hathaway.”

She laughed. A real laugh this time. It’s so corny and lame and so… William. She turned around to face her husband. She could almost feel his emotions and she shivered when he took her hands into his.

“I’ve been a fool. I thought that all of this,” he gestured to the stage, “was for you and the girls. But it was for me it’s been only about me for a long time now and I can’t believe I almost forgot who my greatest inspiration has always been.”

He rested his forehead against hers. Anne sighed. She had missed this. She had miss moment like this with her husband.

“I don’t want to lose you Anne. Not because you’re my soulmate, but because you’re my wife and I love you so much. I don’t care if those dumb soulmate marks disappear. I don’t need a coloured mark to know how much you mean to me. I want to spend the rest of my days by your side, watching our daughters grow. I love you so much Anne.”

He paused slightly, “I guess I forgot that even relationships with soulmates needed work.”

He let out a small laugh and Anne couldn’t help but laugh too. William cupped her cheek gently, his thumbs wiping her tears away.

“So, what do you say? Let’s finish this play? Together?”

She didn’t hesitate one second to take his hand. They didn’t need to fight for the quill, they just needed to listen to each other. They had been so much in tune when their soulmate marks had still been lighted by colours. She knew it wasn’t completely gone. They just needed to work on it. Together. So, they finished writing the play and then they watch as the rehearsal resumed.

Anne rested her back against William’s chest. She could feel the spot where his mark his, pulsating at the same beat as the one of her heart.

She knows it’s going to take months, maybe years, but the colours will be back. She was sure of it.

She sits in William’s laps watching the end of the play. Of their play. His strong arms are wrapped securely around her waist and she feels warm inside.

“A new beginning for Juliet and Romeo.”

And a new beginning for Anne and William.


End file.
